“Because if you don’t, you should know I like her. She’s cute, funny, and pretty damn adorable. And she sure as shit needs help. So, if you don’t really want her, then leave her to me.”
“I want her,” Kent ground out.
Well, he was all in now.
“You want any pointers, let me know,” Clint said, a shit-eating grin on his face.
Perfect.
Chapter Ten
“Where the fuck is your cunt of a brother?”
Abby jumped, her heart racing. She turned away from where she’d been unlocking her car to see the big bruiser from the diner parking lot the other night standing in the shade of a huge tree. He took a puff of a cigarette as he glared at her.
At least she’d put down the bag of groceries. Going back a third time to the store definitely wasn’t in her budget.
“Well? You said you was gonna find out an address for me. Where is the bastard?”
“I-I don’t know,” she stuttered out. What if he’d come to her house? What if he’d seen Max?
Then maybe Max wouldn’t be your problem anymore.
She pushed aside the traitorous thought. Max was her brother. She was meant to protect him.
Like he’s always protected you? Her wrist still throbbed. He’d terrified her. She was having to dig into the money she’d earmarked to pay off Mr. Markovich to buy more groceries. Did he really deserve her protection?
She didn’t know. She only knew that wouldn’t be right to give him up to this terrifying man.
“You don’t know?” he asked in a low, scary voice.
She shook her head. “N-no. But I’m s-sure he’ll call soon. I’ll find out w-where he is.”
“You better not be messing with me, girlie,” he growled. “Or you’re gonna pay. I will be back and you better have answers for me or I start to get nasty. And you don’t want that.”
He turned and walked off. She leaned weakly against the car door. What was she going to do?
“FUCK, WHO THE HELL is that?” her brother snapped as they heard a vehicle pull up outside. He stood and stomped over to the front window. Max had nearly lost his mind when she’d told him about the man approaching her in the grocery store parking lot. Not because he was worried about her, he’d been more alarmed that she might have said something.
She was sick to death of paying his debts. Of feeling unsafe. Of lying to kind men who were checking up on her. Maybe she should have said something to Macca and maybe he would have told Kent and...
Nope, can’t think like that, Abby. Kent regrets kissing you. He’s not going to be interested in your troubles. No matter what he said about calling him if you need him.
You don’t need him. You only have yourself to rely on.
Max turned away from the window to give her a strange look. “How much time you spendin’ with those Sanctuary dipshits?”
“What?” Hope filled her. “Did Macca come back?”
“It’s not Macca. It’s that stuck up, thinks-he’s-better-than-everyone-else-because-he-was-a-SEAL, Jensen dickhead.”
Kent? It was Kent? Butterflies flew through her stomach. Even though she was expecting it, she jumped at the knock on the door.
“Well?” Max questioned.
“Abby! I know you’re in there. Open the door please.”
“I-I hardly know him.”